Others We Tested
Photograph: Kat Merck
Els Pet Orbitie for $189: This is one of the least expensive lidded automatic litter boxes. It functions much like the more expensive models, with an internal 65-liter-capacity orb that rotates and catches clumps with a plastic grate, depositing them into a bag-lined box below. The opening is a generous 12 by 12 inches—plenty big enough for my two 7-year-old cats, who took to it almost immediately despite never having seen anything but a traditional litter box. The accompanying Orbitie app doesn’t offer an extensive amount of information; it tells the user the volume of litter and what step of the cleaning phase the box is currently in, as well as how many times the box has been used and at what times. The first test unit I received was faulty—it sent multiple phantom alerts to the app, letting me know it had cleaned itself as many as 36 times a day, which I knew for a fact was not true. The replacement unit, however, works just as intended, though the bin beneath fills up fast (two to three days with my two cats), and it occasionally needs to be disassembled and cleaned, as tiny pieces of cat litter have a tendency to get in the gears beneath the orb (and make a loud grinding noise). However, this isn’t an unusual occurrence even with pricier boxes. Online reviews panned an earlier version of this box, but Orbitie says this is an improved version. Thankfully, like the bigger brands, Orbitie also offers a 90-day money-back guarantee if you’re on the fence. —Kat Merck
FurryTail Automatic Litter Box Pro for $300: I was surprised at how quickly and easily my cats took to this litter box—even my larger cat, who hates change, quickly started using it. Setup was super easy, and the box comes with a year’s supply of waste bag liners, an additional grate attachment, and a mat to reduce litter tracking. Similar to many models, the circular orb rotates, sifting dirty litter into a waste bag, which on this model is on top of the machine rather than below. The box has both a manual display and buttons on the machine, as well as an app to adjust settings. I’d include this model in our top picks because of how easy it was to set up and use, as well as how much my cats liked it, but the app was basically useless. Through the app, you can adjust settings like timed cleanings and do-not-disturb modes, manually clean, and monitor waste levels. However, the app never tracked usage or weight, and for the majority of the time, didn’t clean when I manually instructed it to. The sensors would sense ghost cats and refuse to clean, with the litter box not automatically cycling for the majority of the day (which sort of defeats the purpose). This automatic litter box has tons of potential, but I can’t fully recommend it until the kinks (especially in the app) are ironed out.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Not Recommended
PetSnowy Snow+ Self-Cleaning Litter Box for $560: This box looks like something from Kubrick’s visions of space travel, or if Eames started making plastic litter boxes. It takes up quite a bit of horizontal floor space, so it may not be ideal for those in cramped apartments looking to conserve space. Unlike all others on this list, this globe is closed during cleaning, which could cause injury if the machine malfunctioned and didn’t sense a cat. The box also doesn’t tell you when the litter’s low or needs to be refilled. My cats had a really hard time using it—they just couldn’t understand that it was a litter box. Older cats could have a tough time jumping into it, and the smaller opening could be a problem if you have bigger cats. It might be great for someone who wants to keep things tidy—it’s extremely clean, smells good, and hugely reduces litter tracking. However, we just can’t recommend the box since the opening closes during cleaning, which is not safe.
The Pet Zone Smart Scoop for $166: This is probably the least “smart” automatic litter box we’ve tested—it’s a typical rectangular plastic box with an automatic arm that acts as a rake and scoops the clumped (soiled) litter into a small bin on the other side. Once the cat leaves, it begins a 15-minute countdown and the rake slides over the length of the box, (ideally) scooping up the waste and lifting it into the receptacle. You’re only allowed to fill the litter box with about an inch and a half of litter, which my cats didn’t like (they prefer a few inches to really bury it). The rake doesn’t stop when it’s in the cleaning cycle—even if something jumps in, which is potentially dangerous. My cats tend to pee on the side of the litter box, which, because of the rake’s placement, means it misses an inch on either side—I still had to scrape the caked-on litter from the edges. The cycle timing can’t be adjusted, so that the litter didn’t have time to clump completely and the rake would immediately break it down into smaller clumps that would then be missed because they were too small. For me, the hassle’s not worth it, and I’d rather just scoop it myself.
How Do Automatic Litter Boxes Work?
Automatic litter boxes vary depending on the brand and litter box type. Generally, they have sensors, either by motion or weight, to tell when a cat has entered or exited the litter box. Usually customizable and controlled via app on your phone, or on a more rudimentary timer system, the cleaning cycle will begin a short time after the cat has used the box. With the dome-shaped litter boxes, the cleaning will happen via a cycle where the litter spins and rotates around the spherical interior; the bigger soiled clumps will be deposited into the waste basket while the clean litter passes through the grates and gets recycled back into the litter box.
The Neakasa M1, for example, rotates backward and then forward (rather than a spin cycle) to sift the clumps from the clean litter, depositing the larger clumps into the waste basket. The Pet Zone Smart Scoop is the most rudimentary we tested, simply using a rake attachment to scoop the bigger clumps into a waste receptacle in the back.
Are Automatic Litter Boxes Safe?
Pet owners should always do research and make an informed decision regarding which box is best for them and their cat. We only tested automatic litter boxes that remain open during cycling to ensure that if for some reason the weight sensors didn’t pick up on a cat being inside, the cat could jump out. We don’t recommend automatic litter boxes that close completely because of the potential that the machine could not sense the cat and kill it during its automatic cycle.
These automatic litter boxes use sensors—some only needing 1 pound of weight to detect your cat—where the cycle will automatically stop no matter where it is in the cleaning process. Many also have anti-pinch sensors. For added security, the automatic litter boxes on this list have customizable schedules, including “do not disturb” modes. If you’re a neurotic helicopter cat mom like me, you could only run the clean cycles when you choose, like when you’re in the room to observe the cycle (although if you did that, the litter box wouldn’t stay clean for as long).
Where Should I Put the Automatic Litter Box?
All of these automatic litter boxes require electricity, so they will need to be near an outlet. Since cats will generally take a little while to get comfortable with their new potty, I recommend that you keep your old litter box until they use the automatic litter box regularly. It helps to put the new automatic litter box near the old litter box(es) to help your cat get familiar with it. Adding in litter attractant and using old litter from the previous box also encourages your cat to use the new model.
As a general rule, for old-school litter boxes, you should have a litter box for each cat, plus one. With automatic litter boxes cleaning constantly, there is less need for multiple options, but we recommend leaving your old litter box out for an extended period to ensure the cat has acclimated to the new automatic box.
History of the Automatic Litter Box
Rudimentary automatic litter boxes have been around since the late ’80s. These early models featured an automatic rake attachment (much like the Pet Zone Smart Scoop box) but had problems with reliability and loudness. It wasn’t until the 2010s that litter boxes started incorporating advanced tech like Wi-Fi and app control. In the decade since, that technology has continuously grown and improved, with most automatic litter boxes providing insight into your cats’ habits and health—truly becoming an asset in understanding your feline friends even better.
What Are We Testing Next?
I’m hoping to test the newest model from Petkit, the Purobot Max Pro, which has a similar design as our favorite PuraMax 2, with the camera abilities of the Purobot Ultra.
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